Shovel



March 5, 1946. CROSS 2,396,089

I I sHoVEL 111 a April 16, 1945' 2 INVENTOIL,

flafid L. 69060,

Patented Mar. 5, 1946 UNITED- STATES PATENT- OFFICE y 2,395,089

V .sHovEL i lDavidLIC'r-oss, West Orange, N. J. Application April 16, 1945, Serial No. 588,445 isclaims. (01. 294-54) This invention relates, generally, toimrirovements 'in' shovels; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel construction of shovel especially adapted'for use as a snow shovel;

The invention has for an object to provide a novel construction of shovel especially adapted for removing snow; said shovel being of light weight and easy to use, and having a body or blade section of such novel form that, in use,

tendency of the snow taken up thereby to stick or cling thereto, and thus impede eflioient use of the that tendency of the snow to stick or cling to the face 'of said body or blade sectionis prevented. 7

Another object of the invention is to'provide means whereby the spaced rods or rungs of the shovel body or blade section may be detachably mounted across th opening thereof, to permit in:

crease or decrease of the number thereof and ad-.

justment or alteration of the spacing thereof as conditions may make expedient.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shovel made according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shovel, drawn on a somewhat enlarged scale, the handle shaft being broken away in part; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the rods or rungs with which the body or blade section of the shovel is provided.

similar character of reference are employed in the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

The novel snow shovel according to this invention comprises a body or blade section In of suitable length, width and peripheral conformation, the central portion of which, constituting to provideianinterior opening H. The inner andouter transverse margins of said interior opening H are each provided with tongue beads or ribs l2 extending therealong between the longitudinal side margins of said interior opening. Said tongue beads or ribs l2 are of less thickness than the thickness of said body or blade section 10. Said tongue beads or ribs l2 maybe shaped from and form an integral part of the material of transverse marginal portionsof the 'body or blade section opening, and being thereupon affixed 'to said marginal portions by suitable fastening means.

Said interior opening .ll of the body or blade section Ill is spanned by a plurality of longitudinally extending, laterally spaced apart rods or rungs l4. Said rods or rungs are preferably of circular cross sectional shape, and preferably of a diameter substantially equivalent to the thickness of the body or blade section it]. Said rods or rungs I4 are provided at their respective ends with transverse indenting notches l5 (see Fig. 4).

' To mount said rods or rungs l4 so that they-span a major part of its total surface area, is cut away the interior opening ll of thebody or blade section, the same are disposed'somewhat obliquely within said interior opening, so that their notches l5 may bebrought into alignment respectively with-the opposed tongue beads or ribs 12, whereupon, by swinging the rods or rungs into substantially longitudinally extending positions, the notches IE will engage over and embrace the tongue beads or ribs I2, so as to be firmly and strongly bound thereto in operative assembled relation to said body or blade section. 'A desired number, of said rods or rungs 12 are thus assembled with the body or blade section in laterally spaced apart relation, and in longitudinally spanning relation to said body or blade section openmg.

Connected with the rearward end of said body or blade section l0, and preferably so asto be coextensive therewith, is an upstanding heel member l6. Said heel member I6 is unitary with the body or blade section l0, and may be integral therewith or may be secured in assembled relation thereto in any suitable manner.

Said body or blade section In and heel member 16 of the shovel may be made of wood, sheet metal or other suitable material, but is-preferably made of wood, and desirably of plywood,

since the latter material is of light weight and yet exceedingly strong and durable. When the body or blade section and heel member l6 are made of wood and suitably secured together, they may be further secured and reenforced by the application thereto of angle irons l'I suitably afflxed thereto.

Affixed to the back of the heel member I6 is a handle shaft attachment socket l8, to which is aflixed and from which extends a suitable handle shaft H] by which the shovel may be manipulated.

When the body or blade section In is made of wood its free end or toe portion may be provided a wear resisting sheet metal binding or armor strip 20 suitably secured thereto.

When the snow shovel of this invention is used, the body or blade section 10 is inserted beneath a snow mass desired to be moved, and said mass is lifted away by the body or blade section in the usual manner, and then, by swinging the shovel, tossed aside. Owing to the interrupted or discontinuous surface provided by the body or blade section opening H as spanned by the rods or rungs M, the lifted snow mass, even when the snow is quite wet, will not tend to stick or cling to the body or blade section, since there is but a minimum of actual surface contact of the latter with the snow, and consequently, when the shovel is swung to toss off the lifted snow, the weight and inertia of the snow mass easily overcomes any tendency of the snow to adhere to such limited surface as actually engages the same, with the result that the snow mass quickly and easily disengages the face of the body or blade section, so as to readily fly off therefrom with substantially no tendency to stick or cling there- Notwithstanding the interrupted or discontinuous surface provided by the body or blade section 16 as spanned by the rods or rungs l4, said surface will adequately support the snow taken up by said body or blade section, when separated from the lying snow operated upon. Since, however, the rods or rungs I4 are detachably mounted and adjustably movable as to their assembled relation to the body or blade section Iil, it will be obvious that the number of rods or rungs [4 may be easily and quickly increased or decreased at will, with consequent adjustment of the relative spacing thereof, so that the snow lifting and supporting effect of the body or blade section may be easily and quickly altered as may be desirable according'to the condition or character of the snow to be operated upon. For example, if a very light and dry snow is to be cleared away, the number of rods or rungs It may be increased to obtain closer spacing thereof; on the other hand, if the snow is heavy and wet, the number or rods or rungs l4 may be decreased to permit wider spacing thereof, and diminished surface area in actual contact with the lifted snow.

From the above description of my invention it will be. understood that the same provides a very efficient snow handling implement,'which is not only of light weight and easy to manipulate in use, while possessing the advantage of eliminating tendency of snow to stick or cling thereto, but, additionally, the construction is of simple character, and one capable of being produced and distributed at comparatively low cost.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A shovel of the kind described comprising a blade section having, an opening of substantial area in the plane thereof, projecting tongue ribs extending into said opening from opposed margins thereof, and a plurality of rungs, said rungs having notched ends to respectively embrace said tongue ribs whereby to support the rungs in spaced apart spanning relation to and across said opening.

2. A shovel of the kind described comprising a blade section and a heel member extending from the rearward end of said blade section, a handle shaft extending rearwardly from said heel member, said blade section having an opening of substantial area in the plane thereof, projecting tongue ribs extending into said opening from opposed margins thereof, and a plurality of rungs, said rungs having notched ends to respectively embrace said tongue ribs whereby to support the rungs inspaced apart spanning relation to and across said opening. V

3. A shovel of the kind described comprising a blade section and a heel member extending from the rearward end of said blade section, a handle shaft extending rearwardly from said heel member, said blade section having an opening of substantial area in the plane thereof, projecting tongue ribs extending into said opening from opposed transverse margins thereof, and a plurality of rungs, said rungs havingnotched ends to respectively frictionally embrace said tongue ribs whereby to detachably and adjustably support said rungs in spaced apart spanning relation to and across said opening. 4

. a DAVIDL. CROSS. 

